Creativity Inside

WBA super featherweight champion Gervonta Davis (21-0, 20 KO) needed just under around to destroy late-replacement contender Hugo Ruiz (39-5) on Saturday in Carson, California. Speed, power, skill, you name it, Davis had it all over Ruiz.

Ruiz was a late replacement for Abner Mares who was forced to pull out with an eye injury. Davis made Ruiz look like a replacement fighter and the easy night keeps him fresh enough to come back to the ring relatively quickly.

Davis’ power is on another level. He does as much destruction with his right hand as anyone I can remember seeing in the super featherweight division. Perhaps only the great Alexis Arguello punched with as much ferocity as Davis in the weight class.

Davis also has the speed to burn, but in light of these skills, it’s time now more than ever for him to be tested by an elite fighter in his weight region. There are the obvious promotional and network stumbling blocks to securing a great matchup, but there are at least two fights that are makeable and interesting.

Leo Santa Cruz, who is also linked with Premier Boxing Champions and Showtime, could come up to battle Davis at super featherweight. The same could be said for the lightning fast, but frequently inactive Gary Russell Jr. Chances are Davis proves to be too strong for them, but the fights would still move the needle.

In a perfect world, Davis would go up to lightweight to face Vasyl Lomachenko or even the fast-rising Teofimo Lopez. Unfortunately, both fighters are signed to Top Rank and their bouts are televised or streamed by ESPN.

Having both sides agree to a deal is at best, challenging. After Saturday’s bout, Davis talked about fighting two or three more times in 2019. One thing is for sure, he didn’t break much of a sweat against Ruiz.